


There is no Ian Lightfoot

by Gummystars



Category: Onward (2020)
Genre: From strangers to brothers again, Home brewed spell backfires, Post-Movie, we got angst, we got fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24140383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gummystars/pseuds/Gummystars
Summary: There is no Ian Lightfoot. It's only ever been Barley and his wonderful Mother who he would protect with his life.So why did some scrawny kid break into their home, claiming to be his magical younger brother? It would take a special kind of crazy to buy into that story, but Barley can't shake the daunting mantra running through his mind and maybe this Ian might have something to do with it.'Something’s missing, something’s lost…'
Comments: 14
Kudos: 51





	There is no Ian Lightfoot

**Author's Note:**

> I needed a mental break from 'After School' and decided that starting up a second chapter based story was the proper thing to do? Bless my brain.

_“I’ve made a mess I can’t remove  
I cast this spell, at risk to lose  
So take my err, and cleanse the tides  
Wipe my faults to free their minds!”_

* * *

There was an extra room on the second floor.

It sat tucked beside the stairs, adjacent to his Mom’s room. Barley had never given it much thought because they’d just never used it. Maybe it was full of boxes leftover from the move, or perhaps a storage for things they didn’t immediately need anymore.

‘ _Something’s missing, something’s lost…_ ’

Neither of them had ever really acknowledged it, as far as he could remember.

The thought struck him quite solidly on his way home from his new job, and he wasn’t sure why. Seconds later, it was wiped away when the wheel of his custom van - Guinnevere - was yanked to barely avoid striking down a unicorn who had wandered onto the road.

The large elf’s heart thrummed in his chest.

“Hey- CAREFUL, trash-horse!” He called out the side window.

Those creatures had used to be so majestic. He sighed, sinking back into his seat as home came into view.

Once parked in the driveway, Barley flipped open his phone to check his messages.

Laurel - his Mom - had gone out on a date with her...boyfriend. The cop, Colt Bronco. So of course he was checking every few minutes in case she had texted him that she wanted to leave, or felt threatened, or needed a third wheel, or _anything_.

His Mom was everything to him. If that guy stepped one hoof out of line, he had one angry elf to deal with.

But there was nothing from her except for the messages before she’d left, encouraging him to go and get take-out for himself because ‘you finally got a real job!!’. And he had; two milkshakes from King Burger.

Then...his eye caught one other text from an unknown number. 

“Huh.” He squinted.

The lonely text sat by itself on the empty tab, reading, _‘I said I was sorry.’_ No chat history, nothing. Weird, but not unheard of. 

‘ _Something’s missing, something’s lost…_ ’

He stuck the phone back into his pocket, “Okay! Shake time.” 

Picking up the two frosty drinks, he couldn’t help but wonder why he’d bothered getting the plain vanilla one when he was far more interested in the Double Chocolate Mint Blast with Dragon Pellets one.

Maybe it would be a good palate cleanser. 

Holding both in one hand like a pro, he navigated out of the vehicle and through the front door of the house. Immediately, Blazey slithered up to greet him, springing up to snap and lick at his face.

“Hey, hey! Down, beast! I’ve only been gone, like, ten minutes tops.” He grinned, turning his head aside to avoid the snakey tongue as it tried to slip straight into his mouth.

A few pets later, though, and she was satisfied. Back off to her lair.

The house was a comforting quiet now, and he meandered over to the couch to enjoy his treats. On the coffee table by it a few pictures lay visibly (Laurel had been scrap-booking) and he couldn’t help but let his eyes wander over them. The cups were set down and briefly forgotten.

Various scenes of himself and his Mother throughout their life together. Although, a few of the images were off-centered, housing a vacant chunk or even completely blank; that was probably why she was working through the photos.

It was...cool to see everything all together.

‘ _Something’s missing, something’s lost…_ ’

Even the picture of his late father, holding Laurel in a gentle hug while the other hand curled into his young son’s hair fondly, made him feel a bittersweet kind of nostalgia.

“Rrrrrr…”

He jerked his attention over to Blazey’s lair where her head was peeking, frills extended, as a few more growls shook the long body. Her neck was bent to point her head up as though she was angry with the ceiling.

He snorted, “What’s got your tail in a twist?”

Another whiny growl, eyes bouncing between him and the ceiling.

Maybe there was a mouse? He snatched up the chocolate shake and took a sip, watching his pet’s behavior in bemusement, “You know, your kind used to be large and fearsome beasts - NOTHING scared them!”

Blazey didn’t seem to care.

Barley shrugged and moved to head back to the couch. But then his long ears caught something that had him freezing up -

_Thud, thud, thud-_

The gentle sound was moving from the stairway, obviously a pair of feet upstairs? His mind blanked for a second, at a loss for why anyone would be in the house. His Mom’s car was gone so NO ONE should be here.

He was running out of time. This was obviously a break-in by some coward.

A spiked, authentic club he owned was propped up near his current ‘Quests of Yore’ campaign on the kitchen table, and he stepped lightly over to heft it into his hold. Perfect.

The pattering sound was beginning to drift down the actual steps, and anger was beginning to rise in his throat, brows furrowed as he took the passage to the right of the staircase in an attempt to catch the thief off guard.

He was expecting to see some gristled, ugly dude, like what you would expect of a villain of a campaign. Instead he got…

A rather neatly dressed and small teenaged elf? His confusion wavered, but his anger did not.

The other jumped down to the base of the stairway like it was the most natural thing in the realm, soft eyes first searching their living room. A mound of curly hair was the only thing rebelliously trying to escape his kept-together appearance. Everything about the way he acted was so ridiculously calm considering the reality.

Then his head swiveled and their eyes met. A mistake.

Immediately witnessed was Barley’s arms held back and ready to swing the club if needed, and the younger elf’s eyes blew wide as he scrambled to put distance between them, 

“Oh, what the- !”

“Wrong house, buddy?!” Barley hissed, following him a little and raising his arms.

Panic was an understatement for this guy’s reaction when he saw the threat, arms waving and head shaking which disturbed the carefully kept fluff of hair, “Ba-Barley, what are you doing?!” 

Wrong choice of words, “How do you know my NAME, huh? HUH?!”

Before the other could respond, Barley had leapt forward and grabbed the shoulder of his shirt, forcing him back against the wall and ignoring the yelp that followed. Small and weak - the little bastard probably hadn’t been expecting anyone to be home.

He dropped the club and yanked his phone back out of his pocket, hand still slightly shaking even though he clearly had the upper hand in this interaction, “Boy, you really picked the wrong house to invade; I literally personally know SEVERAL cops!”

Which was something he would never brag about….but it sounded real good directed at a criminal. 

Said criminal was gawking at him in terror, “WHAT’S going- are y-you still THAT mad, Barley?!”

“Hush, you.” Barley leveled a cold stare at him instead of responding, holding the phone to his ear. To his relief, the click of his call being received followed.

 _”Barley! What’s up, hun?”_ The pleasant voice of his Mom answered.

He breathed a short sigh of relief, “Yeah! Hey, Mom; sorry about date night but someone broke into the house, so can you tell Colt to come here and do his job?”

A beat of confused quiet.

_”Hold...hold on, you said someone-?”_

“Broke in, yeah! I got him right here, but I don’t know what to do with him.” He guessed he DID have a pair of stocks in his room, but that might be a bit much. 

Laurel’s voice was starting to quiver, _”Oh-okay; look, we’ll be there as soon as possible. You stay safe and call me immediately if anything goes wrong, alright?”_

“Aye-aye, Mom!” Barley cut the call and placed his attention back on the teenager, who was staring at him like HE was the one out of his mind, trembling pretty fiercely. It almost made him feel bad, for whatever reason.

This was, by far, the strangest situation that Barley could ever remember being placed into. 

His eyes narrowed just a little and he leaned down to get a better look. Something about this situation was just off. His gut said so, “Alright, while we’re waiting for your welcome wagon, we’re gonna have a little chat.”

And, quietly, in the back of his mind where he hardly noticed it, a voice whispered, ‘ _Something’s missing, something’s lost…_ ’


End file.
